On Wednesday, Jan. 19, an unwelcome guest showed up to Walt Hickox' patio in Daytona Beach, Florida. The black bear busted through the front door, apparently chasing one of Hickox’s dachshunds, but Hickox protected his pack of weiner dogs and managed to get the bear out of the porch with the help of a 5-gallon bucket and a sturdy old bench.
Hickox made it out with minor injuries but does need a series of rabies shots, according to his wife’s Instagram account. Both the dogs and bear made it through unscathed.
According to the Miami Herald, “The Florida Fish Wildlife Commission is currently searching for the unwanted visitor and attempting to lure it by placing cinnamon buns and other snacks in the area it was spotted.”
Bear attacks in the Sunshine State are extremely rare. But just last week, a woman was attacked by a bear outside her home in DeBary, Florida, while walking her two dogs. She sustained non-life-threatening injuries and her dogs were uninjured. FWC located a female black bear with three cubs nearby after the incident. Wildlife authorities euthanized the adult female but did not attempt to capture the three yearlings found with her.
While the bear that entered the Hickox residence is still on the lam, it’s already immortalized by the millions of viewers who have watched the scrap and heard Hickox holler in disbelief: “Oh my God! I just got attacked by a bear!”
